Randomly indexed trap door operated game device



C- E. NEELY ET AL June 4, 1968 'RANDOMLY INDEXED TRAP DOOR OPERATED GAME DEVICE Filed May 17, .1965

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Charles E. Nee/y Walter R But/er INVENTORS A nanny:

June 4, 1968 c, NEELY ET AL RANDOMLY INDEXED TRAP DOOR OPERATED GAME DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.,

Filed May 17, 1965 Fig. 2

E. Nee/y Walter R Bur/er I Charles I VENTORS June 4, 1968 c, NEELY ET AL 3,386,740

RANDOMLY INDEXED TRAP DOOR OPERATED GAME DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 17, 1965 Charles E. Nee/y Walter R Bur/er INVEN'I'OKS M um 41!": I villi! 3,386,740 RANDOMLY INDEXED TRAP DOOR OPERATED GAME DEVICE Charles E. Neely, 3105 Douglas, and Walter R. Butler, 1307 S. Mineola, both of Midland, Tex. 79701 Filed May 17, 1965, Ser. No. 456,096 9 Claims. (Cl. 273-142) The present invention generally relates to a game device operated by players and employs a mechanical arrangement which removes game pieces or tokens from a playing surface by dropping them through trap doors with the selection of the doors which will open being determined by an internal mechanism which is random in nature in view of its large number of combinations. Persons operating the game do not learn which trap doors will open prior to their opening since the mechanism changes the combinations thereby providing a game device which is highly entertaining and intriguing and may be employed for use in playing various types of games.

An object of the present invention is to provide a game device having a plurality of trap doors therein on a playing surface through which tokens may be discharged with the opening of the trap doors being subject to a large number of combinations which will provide continuing novelty and avoid games being played with the device from becoming boring, inasmuch as the persons playing the game with the game device of the present invention never knows which trap doors are about to open.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a game device having a control apparatus centrally located therein so that players orientated around the game device may easily obtain access to the control device, thus facilitating player participation in operating the mechanism.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a game device which is relatively simple from a construction standpoint. The structures involves a relatively large number of parts but the parts are substantially identical to each other thereby saving considerable time in construction. All the mechanism is disposed within a housing for concealment thus eliminating the necessity of such mechanism being attractive in appearance. The present game device may be constructed completely out of plastic or any other suitable material and employs gravity in operating the trap doors which is not subject to fatigue, decay or failure such as various springs and the like which are used in other game devices. Further the configuration of the parts of the game device of the present invention and their interrelation is such that the pieces can be made captive in relation to each other thereby enabling a relatively simple fabrication and assembly procedure.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a game device having the component parts related to a prime number such as 59 with the parts being repeated fifty-nine times. For example, there are fiftynine trap doors, fifty-nine operating rods and the like.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the game device of the present invention with certain portions thereof being broken away at different elevational levels for illustrating the arrangement of certain of the component parts of the device;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 2-2 3,386,740 Patented June 4, 1968 of FIGURE '1 illustrating further structural details of the component parts;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmental perspective view of one side of the machine illustrated in section for indicating the manner in which the tokens are supported on a playing surface and prevented from passing through a trap door;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmental exploded group perspective view of the components illustrated in FIGURE 3 for illustrating the orientation of these components;

FIGURE 5 is a detailed sectional view of one side of the assembly;

FIGURE 6 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 6-6 of FIGURE 1 illustrating certain structural details of the invention; and

FIGURE 7 is an exploded group perspective view of the components of the game device of the present invention with portions of certain of the components broken away for illustrating the structural details thereof.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the game device of the present invention is generally designated by the numeral 10 and includes a circular fiat base plate or base 12 connected with an upstanding cylindrical wall or housing 14 supporting a circular flat plate 16 at the upper end thereof with the top plate 16 defining a fiat playing surface 18 on which a plurality of tokens or game pieces such as marbles 20 may be disposed.

The top plate 16 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures 22 through which the tokens 20 may pass. The apertures 22 are spaced inwardly of the cylindrical wall 14 and are orientated in a circumferential path about the center of the top plate 16.

Extending inwardly from the cylindrical wall 14 is a partition disk or aligning disk 24 which has an enlarged opening defined by an annular edge 26 in the center thereof and is provided with a plurality of keyhole shaped openings or apertures 28 therein orientated in a circumferential path. The openings 28 are generally provided with a main circular portion and a laterally extending branch 30 which slidably receives a plurality of operating rods 32 which have inclined upper ends 34 and a laterally projecting longitudinal flange 36 adjacent the upper end thereof and an oppositely disposed laterally extending flange 38 extending longitudinally adjacent the bottom end of the operating rods 32. The flange 38 is slidable in the branch 30 of the aperture 28.

The bottom ends of the operating rods 32 are engageable by a lifter disk 40 which has a planar upper surface which engages or is engageable with the bottom end of all of the operating rods 32. Connected to the lifter disk 40 is a control rod 42 which extends upwardly through the opening 26 in the disk 24 and also upwardly through an opening 44 in the top plate 18 with the rod 42 having a knob 46 retained on the upper end thereof by set screw 48 for enabling operation of the control rod. The rod 42 has a longitudinal groove or keyway 50 extending through a major portion of its length and adjacent the center thereof, the rod 42 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed laterally extending lugs 52 which are staggered in relation to the longitudinal groove or keyway 50 as illustrated in FIGURE 7.

Orientated under each of the openings 22 in the top plate 16 is a trap door 54 in the form of a relatively narrow and radially extending plate-like member having a vertically enlarged inner end 56 provided with a slot 58 extending upwardly from the bottom edge thereof adjacent the front portion of the vertical enlargement. Depending from the top plate 18 is a plurality of brackets or lugs 60 which receives the trap doors 54 therebetween. Each of the lugs 60 has apertures 62 therein for receiving a supporting pin 66 which is slidably and pivotally 3 received within the slot 58 as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 5 with the two positions of the trap door 54 being illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 5. The outer end portion of the trap doors overlie and are engaged by the operating rods or pins 32.

As illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4, the top aligning disk 27 is provided with a plurality of openings 68 which also slidably receive the operating rod 32 and the openings 68 have diametrically opposed laterally extending branches for receiving both the lugs 36 and 38 for enabling reciprocation of the rods 32 through both the apertures 28 and the apertures 68 for engagement with the trap doors 54 for enabling the trap doors to be held in closed relationship to the apertures 22 or enabling the trap doors 54 to fall by gravity to the open position.

Disposed in vertically stacked relation about the control rod 42 are three pawl arm assemblies 72, 74 and 76 each of which is a circular disk. The pawl assembly 72 has a laterally extending arm 78 provided with a gravity operated pivotal pawl 80 mounted on one edge thereof. The pawl assembly 74 is provided with a similar radial arm 82 provided with a pivotal pawl 84 thereon and the pawl assembly 76 is provided with a similar arm 86 having a pawl 88 pivoted thereon. The pawl assembly 72 has a central opening 90 with diametrically opposed extending branches 92 for receiving the lugs 52 on the rod 42. The pawl assembly 74 is provided with an opening 94 having a longitudinal lug or key 96 projecting therein for engaging in the keyway 50 on the rod 42. The pawl assembly 76 is provided with a central opening 98 having a projecting flange or key 100 for similarly engaging the keyway 50. Pawl assembly 72 also has a longitudinal key or lug 73 projecting into opening 90 similar to lugs 96 and 100 on pawl assemblies 74 and '76 respectively so that the pawl assembly 72 is driven by the keyway 50 on rod 42. The pawl assembly 72 is orientated immediately under the top plate 16 in which the opening 44 is similar in configuration to the opening 90 and branches 92 in the pawl assembly 72. Also, the pawl assemblies 72, 74 and 76 progressively increase in diameter so that the pawls 80, 84 and 88 are orientated in radially spaced circumferentail paths.

Orientated below the pawl assembly 72 is a first coding disk 102. A second coding disk 104 is provided below the coding disk 102 and a third coding disk 106 is provided below the coding disk 104. The coding disk 102 is provided with a plurality of apertures 108 therein while the disk 104 has a. plurality of apertures 110 and the disk 106 has a plurality of apertures 112 therein. These apertures are generally radial slot-like structures which receive the ends of the pawls 80, 84 and 88. The outer periphery of the coding disk 102 is provided with a plurality of teeth or notches 114 and the disk 104 is provided with a similar group of notches or teeth 116 and the disk 106 is also provided with a plurality of teeth or notches 118 as illustrated in FIGURE 7. Also, the disk 102 is provided with a central aperture 120, the disk 104 is provided with a central aperture 122 and the disk 106 is provided with a central aperture 124 with the central apertures progressively increasing in diameter. Disk 102 has fiftynine apertures thereon, disk 104 has one aperture removed with disk 106 being the same as disk 104. Disk 102 has an offset 126 which is extended downwardly and disk 106 has an offset 123 which extends upwardly and the disk 104 is planar. The teeth or notches 114, 116 and 118 are randomly spaced.

Orientated in underlying relation to the coding disks 102, 104 and 106 is a coding disk support 130 which is a hollow circular member having a lowermost peripheral flange 132 extending under and supporting the disk 106. At the inner edge of the flange 132 is an upstanding cylindrical portion 134 having a diameter generally equal to but received within the aperture 124 in the disk 106. An intermediate flange 136 extends inwardly from the upper edge of the cylindrical portion 134 and underlies the disk 104. A cylindrical upstanding portion 138 extends through the aperture 122. At the upper edge of the cylindrical upstanding portion 138 is a flange or ledge .140 which supports the first coding disk 102 and an upwardly extending cylindrical projection 142 is provided thereon which is re ceived in the aperture and which also is large enough to enable vertical reciprocation of the control rod 42 as illustrated in FIGURE 2. In effect, the support for the coding disk is a stepped cone having three horizontal steps as illustrated. Also, the cylindrical portions 134 and 138 have an arcuate slot 144 and 146 therein and projecting out through the slot are pawl stand-offs 148 and 150 which are arcuate plate segments.

There are fifty-nine holes 22 in the playing surface 18 and fifty-nine trap doors 54, fifty-nine operating rods 32, fifty-nine holes 28 in the bottom aligning disk 24 and fifty-nine holes 68 in the top aligning disk 27. There are fifty-nine holes 108 in the first coding disk and one less in each of the other two coding disks.

The mechanism which enables the tokens or marbles 20 to be discharged through the openings 22 is random in nature in View of the large number of combinations that are possible. The central control rod 42 is attached to the lifter disk 40 in a rotatable manner by a plurality of plates 152, one of which is received in a groove 154 in the rod 42. The control rod 42 passes vertically through the center of the game and may be either rotatably fastened or rigidly fastened to the lifter disk 40 and is keyed to the pawl arm assemblies 72, 74 and 76. The control rod 42 has two functions in that it rotates and causes the pawl arm assemblies to rotate through an arc of 90 within the limits of the slots in the disk support 130. Also, the rod 42 moves up and down which causes the lifter disk 40 to move vertically.

When the pawl arm assemblies 72, 74 and 76 are rotated, the pawls thereon engage the corresponding holes in an underlying coding disk. Each pawl arm moves through 90 but each coding disk does not move a corresponding amount. This is accomplished by the pawl stand-offs 148 and 150 mounted above two of the coding disks 106 and 104 respectivey which prevent the pawls 84 and 88 from engaging the holes 110 and 112 respectively until a portion of the 90 rotation of the pawl arm is consumed. This action produces a dilferent amount of rotation for each coding disk thus changing the combination, that is, the relationship of the notches or teeth and the apertures 68 and 28 which carry the operating rods 32.

When the pawl arm assemblies have been rotated, the control rod 42 is depressed thus lowering the lifter disk. When the lifter disk is depressed, the support which it normally gives all of the operating rods 32 is removed. The operating rods 32 will then be supported or not supported according to the position of the coding disk. In order to be supported, at least one of the coding disks must have a tooth vertically aligned with the projection 36 on the operating rod 32. To be unsupported, the coding disk must each have a notch vertically aligned with the projection 36 on the operating rod 32.

If the operating rod 32 is unsupported, it will follow the lifter disk 40 down and since the top of the operating rod provides the only support for the trap doors, if this support is removed, the trap door or doors will open by gravity and swing downwardly. Any playing tokens or marbles 20 on the opened trap doors fall through the playing surface and thus are removed from the board and the mechanism will then be reset. To reset, the control rod 42 is pulled up manually to its maximum height and rotated counterclockwise 90 which returns the pawl arm assemblies to a starting position. Thus, a clockwise rotation will move the coding disks and when the control rod 42 rotates counterclockwise, the pawls slip over the holes in the coding disks so that the coding disks are moved only in one direction and each by different amounts resulting in a new combination after each operation of the control rod.

The changing of the combination of the coding disk is subject to the application of a prime number which is indivisible by any number other than itself and one. Around the coding disks outer circumferences are located fifty-nine equal divisions, the divisions being composed by the apertures 108 and the coding disk 102 also has fiftynine notches or teeth around the periphery thereof. On only the first coding disk is there fifty-nine equally spaced apertures with the remaining two disks having one aperture removed. The removal of apertures is necessary inasmuch as the action of the mechanism as relates to the prime number, causes the pawls regardless of their individual movements to engage every aperture on the coding disk before engaging a single tooth twice. If there were no apertures missing on any of the coding disks, their index alignment would re-occur after only fifty-nine operations since, during this number of operations, each pawl would engage all fifty-nine apertures and would their repeat. However, with the removal of apertures, the number of combinations is somewhat increased to over 130,- 000. This figure includes positioning around the game surface as well as the arrangement of the opening of the trap doors, for example, one trap door opening into each of the fifty-nine traps around the game would represent one permutation in fifty-nine locations.

The mechanism of the present invention lends itself well to several variations of play for enabilng several games to be played. The device may be employed to introduce an element of chance to many existing gameboards, such as those that move tokens from square to square or place to place on the gameboard. The present construction eliminates the tendency toward grouping of the opening of the trap doors in any particular segment of the top plate.

The cylindrical housing may be provided with a suitable door for enabling discharge of the tokens from the interior of the mechanism after a predetermined number of the mechanism after a predetermined number of tokens have been received or at any other suitable time.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted, to falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A game device comprising a housing having a playing surface with a plurality of openings therein, said plurality being in a curved path, closure trap doors each individually and horizontally pivotally supported to underlie one of said openings, a plurality of game pieces disposed on at least some of said trap doors, means supporting all of said trap doors is closed position in said openings, and means disposed within the housing and operable exteriorly of the housing for removing a selected number of the support means and opening only some of said trap doors during each operation sequence whereby the number and location of such trap doors subject to being opened during each operation is unknown to a person operating said means.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said supporting means includes a plurality of operating rods reciprocably mounted in said housing and having One end engageable with said closure doors for retaining them in closed position or permitting them to open, and wherein said operable means includes a lifter disk engageable with the other end of said rods, and a control rod attached to said lifter disk and extending upwardly through the housing to a point exteriorly thereof whereby the lifter disk may be operated.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said operable means also includes upper and lower aligning disks guidingly mounting said reciprocating rods, and a plurality of coding disks associated with the rods for selectively locking the rods in elevated position for retaining the closure doors closed.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said coding disks have notches on the periphery thereof, said operating rods having longitudinal flanges thereon to permit reciprocation of the rods when the flanges are aligned with the notches and prevent reciprocation when a notch on a coding disk is misaligned with the flange on a rod.

5. The structure as defined in claim 4 wherein said operable means also includes a plurality of pawl arm assemblies each having a radially extending arm with a pawl pivotally mounted thereon for ratcheting engagement with a coding disk for moving a coding disk, said pawl arm assemblies being connected with the control rod for rotation in response to rotation for varying the position of the coding disks.

6. The structure as defined in claim 5 wherein said operable means also includes a coding disk support having circumferentially extending flange means associated therewith for rendering the pawls inoperative for a portion of their arcuate movement.

7. The structure as defined in claim 6 wherein said openings, closure doors, operating rods and associated elements are based upon a prime number of openings for increasing the number of possible combinations of the means.

8. A game device comprising a housing having a playing surface with a plurality of openings therethrough, said openings being disposed in a curved path, closure trap doors each individually and movably supported to underlie one of said openings, a plurality of game pieces disposed on at least some of said trap doors, means supporting all of said trap doors in closed position in said openings, and means disposed within said housing and operable exteriorly of the housing for removing a number of the support means and opening only some of said trap doors during each operation sequence whereby the number and location of such trap doors subject to being opened during each operation is unknown to a person operating said means.

9. The structure as defined in claim 8 wherein said supporting means includes a plurality of operating rods movably mounted in said housing and engageable with said closure trap doors for retaining them in closed position or permitting them to open, and wherein said operable means includes an operating member in said housing and engageable with said rods, and means connected with the operating member and extending exteriorly of the housing for operating said rods.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 919,148 4/1909 Flint et a1. 273-436 X 2,420,482 5/ 1947 J anik 27 3--136 2,687,890 8/1954 Hedin 273138 2,525,716 10/1950 Okamoto 273138 FOREIGN PATENTS 360,230 9/ 1922 Germany.

383,226 10/ 1923 Germany.

152,518 10/ 1920 Great Britain.

ANTON O. OECHLE, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Examiner.

A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner. 

8. A GAME DEVICE COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A PLAYING SURFACE WITH A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS THERETHROUGH, SAID OPENINGS BEING DISPOSED IN A CURVED PATH, CLOSURE TRAP DOORS EACH INDIVIDUALLY AND MOVABLY SUPPORTED TO UNDERLIE ONE OF SAID OPENINGS, A PLURALITY OF GAME PIECES DISPOSED ON AT LEAST SOME OF SAID TRAP DOORS, MEANS SUPPORTING ALL OF SAID TRAP DOORS IN CLOSED POSITION IN SAID OPENINGS, AND MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND OPERABLE EXTERIORLY OF THE HOUSING FOR REMOVING A NUMBER OF THE SUPPORT MEANS AND OPENING ONLY SOME OF SAID TRAP DOORS DURING EACH OPERATION SEQUENCE WHEREBY THE NUMBER AND LOCATION OF SUCH TRAP DOORS SUBJECT TO BEING OPENED DURING EACH OPERATION IS UNKNOWN TO A PERSON OPERATING SAID MEANS. 